If you let the popularity of an idea – no matter how silly - dictate your stance, then you are not a very good elected official.  read more »

U.S. President Donald Trump’s mindless, and frankly pointless, comments about Canada becoming the 51st state have stirred up latent Canadian patriotism.  read more »

On her first day in office, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek signed an executive order calling for the construction of 36,000 new homes per year.  read more »

The second of two reported essays on the issues facing California. Read the first installment here.

California’s wide range of problems – including declining schools, widening inequality, rising housing prices, and a weak job market – show the urgent need for reform. The larger question is whether there is the will to change.  read more »

This is the first of two essays on issues facing California.

“From the Beginning, California promised much. While yet barely a name on the map, it entered American awareness as a symbol of renewal. It was a final frontier: of geography and of expectation.”  read more »

Net zero and decarbonization pledges are a dime a dozen.

Earlier this month, the Australian government released an update to its “Net Zero in Government Operations Annual Progress Report.”  read more »

When the U.S. Census Bureau recently revealed a small increase in California’s population, it came as a welcome sign to some that the state was growing again.  read more »

Donald Trump famously said he could end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours, yet the war is still raging more than two months after he took office.  read more »

Donald Trump is unlikely to win a popularity contest or an election in America’s deepest blue states. But, ironically, his administration could prove a long term boon to these places  read more »

There is considerable concern about housing affordability in the United States. Housing is the most expensive element of the cost of living  read more »